Howard Gossage

Howard Luck Gossage (1917–1969) was an American advertising executive, known for his iconoclasm and nicknamed "The Socrates of San Francisco".[2]

Early life

Gossage was born in Chicago.[3] He and another paddled a canoe for 1500 miles along the Mississippi river.[4] Gossage was educated at the University of Kansas City.[3][5] In World War II, Gossage was a Navy combat pilot.[3]

Career

Circa 1953, Gossage's first advertising job, at age 36, was in San Francisco.[3] Gossage first worked at "big agencies".[2]

Circa 1953, the first agency to bear his name was Weiner & Gossage,[6] later, Freeman & Gossage then Freeman, Mander & Gossage.[3][2]

His ad agency, in an old firehouse (Engine Company No. 1,[1] 451 Pacific Ave.,[7] east of the International Settlement, in the Barbary Coast, San Francisco), existed for 12 years, from 1957, until 1969, soon after his death.[2] The building became a salon where some of the era's notable wits congregated, including John Steinbeck, Buckminster Fuller, Tom Wolfe, Stan Freberg, Herb Caen, Marshall McLuhan, and Jessica Mitford[8] from John Steinbeck to Buckminster Fuller, Terry-Thomas,[9] Tom Wolfe to Stan Freberg.[10][11]

Gossage...would call Herb up every day at 11:45 a.m....and, recalls Hinckle, "would say in his magnificent stutter...[12]

A non-conformist, "he turned down or resigned business in order to keep the number of staff to below 13"[13] and who railed against the norms of so-called scientific advertising in his day, Gossage introduced several innovative techniques to the advertising practice that would only become appreciated decades after his death.[8]

Tom Wolfe credits Gossage with discovering the media theorist Marshall McLuhan,[9][4] introducing him to media and corporate leaders thereby providing McLuhan his entry into mainstream renown.[14] More widely, Gossage was involved in some of the first environmental campaigning in the USA with the Sierra Club, and in the establishment of Friends of the Earth through his friendship with David Brower.[15]

Howard Gossage hated Smokey the Bear.[16]

Howard Gossage is listed by Advertising Age at number 23 of its 100 advertising people of the 20th century.[17] AdAge.com calls Gossage a "copywriter who influenced ad-makers worldwide."[5]

Gossage believed that commercial communication worked best when it was fun, irreverent and entertaining, using humour, intrigue and sometimes outrage to win his audience's attention, affection - and custom.[18][19][20]

Gossage commissioned a memorial plaque to Miles Archer, the partner of Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon, who died in Burritt Alley above Stockton Street, prior to the Stockton Street Tunnel, in San Francisco. Terry McDonell, and others, at night, illegally stuck the plaque to a building wall, with Hunter Thompson acting as the lookout for police.[9] The next night (February 12, 1974[21]) they came back with the Nibbi Brothers (construction contractor Marino Nibbi[22]) to assist in properly securing the plaque.[9][23][24]

"On approximately this spot, Miles Archer, Partner of Sam Spade, was done in by Brigid O’Shaughnessy"[9][25][26]

Personal life

He had children by his wife, (née Fox), including Page June (1947-1965). He had two children, Amy and Ebon, by his wife, Mary Jane (née Baty) Gossage (1930-1974), the daughter of a wealthy Illinois banking family.[27] In 1975, Ebon killed Amy.[28][27][29][30] In 1962, he married his second wife, Sally Kemp. They had a daughter, Sarah Luck.[31] He died of leukemia.[32][33]

Quotes

He is known for many outspoken comments on the advertising world:

Advertising accomplishes some things, but it doesn't accomplish all that much. I think it's obvious that you can't have more and more of the stuff.[4]

Repetitive advertising is not indoctrination so much as brain washing. There is ample evidence that when this method works well it is like shooting fish in a barrel. This is ok outside of the petty objection that even if people are fish, it isn't sporting to shoot them in a barrel. Except the fish don't hold still the way they used to, they've developed thicker skins, it takes more ammunition all the time.[34]

I wrote a magazine article for Harpers last year, and in it I said specifically this: I like outdoor advertising; I just don't think it ought to be outdoors[35].

To explain morality to an adman is like trying to explain to a child that sex is more interesting than ice cream.

If you're stuck with a lemon, make lemonade. (see: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade)

Ad campaigns

Works

In February 1960, Gossage published How to look at billboards in Harper's Magazine.[7]

In March 1961, Gossage published The Golden Twig — Black, White, and Pango Peach Magic in Advertising in Harper's Magazine.[36][37]

In 1962, S. Miller Harris, head of Eagle Shirtmakers,[38] and Howard Luck Gossage published "Dear Miss Afflerbach: Or, The Postman Hardly Ever Rings 11,342 Times".[39][2]

In 1967, Ist die Werbung noch zu retten a compilation of Howard Gossage's articles and speeches edited by Barrows Mussey was published in West Germany. Republished by Dominik Imseng, 2017.

In 1967, Jerry Mander, George Dippel, and Gossage published The Great International Paper Airplane Book.[40]

Gossage, Howard Luck (September 1969). "Tell Me, Doctor, Will I Be Active Right Up to the Last?". The Atlantic.

In 1986, a compilation of Howard Gossage's articles and speeches was edited by Kim B. Rotzoll,[41] Jarleth Graham and Barrows Mussey, and published in the US as Is There Any Hope for Advertising?[34]

Works about Gossage

Hinckle, Warren (March 1974). "The Adman Who Hated Advertising: The Gospel According to Howard Gossage". The Atlantic. Retrieved 22 January 2026.

In 1974, Warren Hinckle wrote If You Have a Lemon, Make Lemonade.[42][43]

Rotzoll, Kim B. (December 1980). "Gossage Revisited: Reflections of Advertising's Legendary Iconoclast". Journal of Advertising. 9 (4): 6–42. doi:10.1080/00913367.1980.10673332 – via ResearchGate.

In 1984, Herb Caen and Jessica Mitford contributed to An Extraordinary Man.[44]

Bruce H. Bendinger[45][46] compiled The Book of Gossage in 2005, bringing together Howard's work, writing and contributions by Jeff Goodby, Stan Freberg, Barrows Mussey & Alice Lowe.[47][48]

In 2012 Creative Director Steve Harrison authored a biography about Howard Gossage entitled Changing the world is the only fit work for a grown man.[8]

In 2023, TellTale Industries with Ashley Pollak & James King were commissioned to produce a radio documentary about Howard Gossage for BBC Radio 4 called The Socrates of San Francisco.'[4] The programme was broadcast on the 20th May 2023, and is available for streaming and download[4]

In 2023, The Firehouse Salon[49] with hosts Sarah Luck Gossage and Ashley Pollak & James King, is a podcast which looks at the themes of Howard's life in greater detail and explores how that thinking is relevant today in the fields of environmentalism, economics, politics and communication.[50]

David Dye & Steve Harrison published The Howard Gossage Show - And What it Can Teach You About Advertising, Fun, Fame and Manipulating the Media. in 2024 which shares previously unseen advertisements produced by Howard's agency.[51]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Graff, Amy. "25 buildings you didn't know used to be San Francisco firehouses". SFGATE. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e Trickett, Eleanor. "Campaign Report on Creative DM: The master’s voice - Howard Luck Gossage’s press ads were the guerilla marketing of his era and the legacy lives on today". www.campaignlive.co.uk. Haymarket Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Pioneer: Howard Gossage". Communication Arts. 8 September 2010. Archived from the original on 2019-09-23. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Archive on 4, The Socrates of San Francisco". BBC Online. 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023. Presented by Jeff Goodby; a party going on...John Steinbeck...Buckminster Fuller...Marshall McLuhan...Joan Rivers...Tom Wolfe...Ken Kesey...Grateful Dead
  5. ^ a b "Howard Luck Gossage". Ad Age. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  6. ^ "American Petrofina 'Pink Air!' newspaper ad". Communication Arts. 1961. Retrieved 20 January 2026. Robert Freeman/George Dippel, art directors; Howard Gossage, writer; Marget Larsen, designer; Weiner & Gossage, Inc., ad agency.
  7. ^ a b Gossage, Howard Luck (February 1960). "How to look at billboards" (PDF). Harper's Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2026 – via Scenic America.
  8. ^ a b c Harrison, Steve (2012). Changing the World is the Only Fit Work for a Grown Man. AdWorld Press. ISBN 978-0957151505.
  9. ^ a b c d e McDonell, Terry (23 April 2018). "Warren Would Have Written a Better Headline". Alta Online. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  10. ^ "The Howard Gossage 4 Point Program". Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  11. ^ "Marshall McLuhan". The Canadian Advertising Museum. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  12. ^ Robins, Cynthia (Feb 2, 1997). "Herb Caen". SFGate. San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on August 3, 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  13. ^ "Howard Luck Gossage – the 'mad man' who changed the world". SOFII · The Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  14. ^ Rothenberg, Randall (1994). Where the Suckers Moon: The Life and Death of an Advertising Campaign. NY: Vintage Books, p. 188
  15. ^ "The Ad Man Who Helped Create Earth Day". Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  16. ^ Hinckle, Warren (1972). "What Good Is Freedom Of The Press If There Isn't One?". Anderson Valley Advertiser. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  17. ^ "Advertising Age Person of the Century". Advertising Age.
  18. ^ Rotfeld, Herbert Jack (June 2006). "Understanding advertising clutter and the real solution to declining audience attention to mass media commercial messages". Journal of Consumer Marketing. 23 (4): 180–181. doi:10.1108/07363760610674301.
  19. ^ Gardner, Fred (2 September 2016). "He Made Lemonade: Warren Hinckle, Flamboyant Publisher". CounterPunch.org. Retrieved 22 January 2026. Among Gossage's many creations was the Beethoven sweatshirt
  20. ^ Gardner, Fred (August 31, 2016). "Warren Hinckle, Flamboyant Publisher". Anderson Valley Advertiser. Retrieved 22 January 2026. Among Gossage's many creations was the Beethoven sweatshirt,
  21. ^ "Maltese Falcon". San Francisco Plaques. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  22. ^ "Management Team". Nibbi Brothers General Contractors. 14 May 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  23. ^ Herron, Don (2010). The Dashiell Hammett Tour: Thirtieth Anniversary Guidebook. San Francisco: Vince Emery. ISBN 978-0-9825650-8-7.
  24. ^ Gillis, William (2005). The Scanlan's Monthly Story (1970-1971): How One Magazine Infuriated a Bank, an Airline, Unions, Printing Companies, Customs Officials, Canadian Police, Vice President Agnew, and President Nixon in Ten Months. Ohio University. Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, Journalism (Communication).
  25. ^ Parzanese, Joe. "Maltese Falcon". Weird California. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  26. ^ Herron, Don (3 September 2010). "The Tour: 45 Years (1977-2022)". Don Herron .com. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  27. ^ a b
  28. ^ Chiang, Harriet (Aug 15, 2000). "Killer of Sister Barred From Practicing Law / High court says despite achievements he is unfit". sfgate.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  29. ^ Hattenstone, Simon (2022-05-03). "'There was an enormous amount of drugs being taken': Graham Nash on groupies, feuds, divorce and ego". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  30. ^ Fosburgh, Lacy (18 February 1975). "Girl, 19, Slain in Home in San Francisco; Brother, 20, Her 'Best Friend,' Is Seized". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  31. ^ "Staff Profile: Meet Sarah Gossage". Operation USA. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  32. ^ "Howard Gossage, Advertising Man; Executive, 52, Was Known for Unusual Campaigns". The New York Times. Special to The New York Times. July 10, 1969. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  33. ^ Hinckle, Warren (1 December 1974). "Remembering Howard Gossage". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 143. Retrieved 22 January 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  34. ^ a b Gossage, Howard Luck (1986). Rotzoll, Kim B.; Graham, Jarlath; Mussey, Barrows (eds.). Is There Any Hope for Advertising?. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-01278-X. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  35. ^ BBC Radio 4 'The Socrates of San francisco'. Broadcast 20/05/2023 and 07/01/2025
  36. ^ Gossage, Howard Luck (March 1961). "The golden twig". Harper's Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  37. ^ "Marketing Articles in Review". Journal of Marketing. 25 (6): 83–120. 1961. doi:10.2307/1248523. ISSN 0022-2429. JSTOR 1248523.
  38. ^ Karr, Arnold J. (12 June 2013). "S. Miller Harris Dead at 91". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  39. ^ Harris, S. Miller; Gossage, Howard Luck (1962). Dear Miss Afflerbach: Or, The Postman Hardly Ever Rings 11,342 Times. The Macmillan Company. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  40. ^ Mander, Jerry; Dippel, George; Gossage, Howard Luck (1967). The Great International Paper Airplane Book. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-21129-5.
  41. ^ "Kim Rotzoll, longtime dean of College of Communications, dies". News Bureau. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  42. ^ New York: Putnam. ISBN 0393306364.
  43. ^ O'Reilly, Jane (Dec 15, 1974). "O'er the Ramparts we watched, was so gallantly spending; If You Have a Lemon, Make Lemonade By Warren Hinkle III. 363 pp. New York:G. P. Putnam's Sons. $8.95". nytimes.com. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  44. ^ Gossage, Howard Luck; Caen, Herb; Mitford, Jessica (1984). An Extraordinary Man. Somesuch Press.
  45. ^ Bendinger, Bruce H. (2002). The Copy Workshop Workbook. Chicago, IL: The Copy Workshop. ISBN 978-1-887229-11-1.
  46. ^ "Authors". First Flight Books. Archived from the original on 20 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  47. ^ Gossage, Howard Luck (1995). The Book of Gossage: A Compilation, which Includes "Is There Any Hope for Advertising?". Copy Workshop. ISBN 978-0-9621415-3-9. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  48. ^ "Title List". First Flight Books. Archived from the original on 20 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  49. ^ "The Firehouse Salon". Buzzsprout. 26 November 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  50. ^ "2191120". rss.buzzsprout.com. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  51. ^ "Book Reviews - The Howard Gossage Show". Communication Arts. 28 October 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.

Papers

Websites

Audio

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